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This year, Passover is bringing along with it an entirely new set of questions that extend far beyond the traditional four. For starters: How do I cook a seder meal for just one or two people? How do I host my own virtual seder? Can I get a Passover Haggadah for free? I’m sick of video chatting – can I just have a meaningful seder on my own? Where do I even begin?

Not to fret. Gather is here to answer your most pressing Passover-during-a-global-pandemic related questions and remind you to #KEEPSEDERSIMPLE this year. And, if you have major “screen fatigue” and don’t want to read this – here is a summary: Eat/drink the Passover symbols, tell the story, and ask questions. It truly doesn’t have to get any more complicated than that.

For more info, check out our 2020 Passover Guide.

Food and Drinks

Q: What am I not allowed to eat/drink on Passover again? 

A: You can’t eat anything containing wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt that has fermented and risen. Another word for this is “chametz” (ha-metz). Beyond bread, pasta, and Oreos, this includes most beers, bourbons, whiskeys, gins, and wheat-based vodkas. 

Q: What can I eat and drink?

A: Fruits, veggies, eggs, nuts, quinoa, some meat, fish, dairy, and – matzah! There is some debate about whether or not you can eat legumes, beans, peas, rice, millet, corn, and seeds. These foods are called “kitniyot” (kit-nee-oat) and some choose to abstain from them during Passover, some don’t. More on this here. For beverages, you can drink most wines, potato-based vodkas, rum, tequila, sodas (without corn syrup if you’re avoiding kitniyot), juices – and ALL forms of water. 

Q: How do I cook a seder meal for just myself or a few people?

A: Keep in mind that anything you make can be consumed for the entire eight days of Passover – so no need to skimp on portion sizes. Just pick a few dishes you really want to make, and make them as called for. Who doesn’t love having delicious leftovers for teleworking lunches and easy dinners? Here are some traditional seder recipes ideas to get you started and there are tons more here. If it will help to have a cooking buddy, set up a time to prep your meal while tele-connecting to a friend or relative who preps theirs.

#KeepSederSimple Tip: Don’t worry about making an elaborate four-course meal to recreate your Bubbie’s cooking, just pour some wine/grape juice and eat the symbols.

Q: Where can I find very simple versions of Passover recipes I can make?

A: Here are simple versions of charoset (note: replace wine with grape juice for alcohol-free version), horseradish, matzo ball soup, roasted tzimmies, brisket with Insta Pot, Potato Kugel, Potato Latkes, Quinoa Salad, Apple Cake, Brownies, and Caramel Chocolate Matzo Brittle. Boom – you got yourself a delicious and complete Passover meal!

Q: What is a seder plate and what goes on it?

A: This one minute video will show you. If you don’t feel like leaving this page:

• Karpas (Parsley): It symbolizes the emerging of spring. Ashkenazi custom is to dip it in salt water and Sephardi custom is to dip it in vinegar.
• Charoset (Sweet Fruit Paste): A mix of sweet fruits, honey, and nuts that symbolizes he mortar Israelites used to construct buildings for Pharaoh
• Maror (Bitter Herb): Usually horseradish to illustrate the bitterness of slavery
• Zeroa (Shankbone): Symbolizes the lamb that Jews sacrificed as the special Passover offering when the Temple stood in Jerusalem
• Beitzah (Egg): Represents the cycle of life and hope for new beginning

Q: Have you seen the grocery store shelves lately?! What can I can substitute for the traditional seder plate staples?

A: Here’s some ideas: 

• Karpas – Any vegetable like parsley, carrot sticks, celery or a piece of roasted potato 
• Charoset – Any combo of sweet fruit, nuts, and honey or agave, even jam will do 
• Maror – A bitter lettuce like romaine or mustard greens, hot peppers, fresh lemon or ginger
• Zeroa – Roasted beet
• Beitzah – Avocado pit

More info here.

Q: I don’t trust my cooking skills! Where can I order Passover foods from?

A: You can get delicious Passover food for take-out or delivery from local DMV restaurants and caterers like Balducci’s, Bread Furst, Char Bar, Equinox, Moti’s, Provisions, Shalom Kosher, Soupergirl, and Ridgewell’s. You can also head to Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, or Safeway to get some mixes, matzo, and other ingredients for a “semi-homemade” Passover meal.

#KeepSederSimple Tip: Make a matzah peanut butter & jelly sandwich or matzah pizza. Basically zero cooking skills required, and zero judgement.

Q: All of that seems expensive, how can I get some financial support to help me out?

A: Yes. OneTable is offering nourishment options to local restaurants and grocery stores for those hosting virtual Passover seders. Sign up to host here.

Q: How can I make traditional versions of Passover foods that are vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free?

A: Here are the 9 best vegan Passover recipes and here are gluten free recipes. Side note: You can also use a vegan themed Haggadah!

Q: Why does the seder include drinking four cups of wine?

A: The four cups of wine mark the four verbs God used to describe our liberation from Egypt: See Exodus 6:6-7: “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments, and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God.”

Q: I don’t drink alcohol, what can I use in place of the wine?

A: Try a non-alcoholic wine like Fre’s merlot or red blend. For kosher options – get some Martinelli sparkling grape juice, Kedem kosher grape juice, or the classic Welch’s. Honestly so delicious.

Hosting Seder

Q: I’m thinking of hosting my own virtual seder this year, where do I begin?

A: Gather what you can find for a makeshift seder plate. Tell the Passover story (we recommend the first few chapters of Exodus, it’s a classic!). Ask some questions.

#KeepSederSimple Tip: Download a free Haggadah. Send the downloadable link to your friends/family who will be joining you for seder virtually, and have everyone take turns reading. 

Q: What Haggadah should I use?

A: Totally your call. There are a ton of options available for free download here. Some are shorter, some are longer, and some have fun themes like chocolate, earth justice, and comedy. If you’re feeling really ambitious and have some time on your hands – you can make your own! Just make sure to send whichever one you choose to the seder participants in advance.

Q: What platform should I use to host a virtual seder?

A: We vote for Zoom. There’s also Skype, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Facebook Live (if you want to create a more open and public seder).

Q: How can I make my virtual seder fun and interactive?

A: Sing songs, do skits to tell the story, listen to music, play Passover charades, try a seder drinking game (e.g. take a sip anytime some says “Moses”), find the afikomen virtually by creating a “Where’s Waldo” type picture to share on the screen (instead of Waldo it’s a piece of matzo, get it?) – and the winner gets a gift card to a local restaurant, and/or email a few simple food or drink recipes in advance so you can “share” in them together.

#KeepSederSimple Tip: Or don’t. If seder comes and you’re feeling angry, tired, sad, hopeless, or any other perfectly okay human emotion to be feeling right now – give yourself permission to let go of our creative plans, and go back to the basics. Eat and drink the symbols. Tell the story. Ask questions.

Q: How can I make Passover more meaningful and relevant for myself and people attending?

A: Imagine you are leaving your own personal “Egypt.” Reflect on the areas of your life where you do not feel free and discuss how to find freedom. As a group, talk about your responsibility in supporting the freedom of others by asking meaningful questions, thinking about acts of service to do after the seder, read a relevant poem, or utilize social justice-themed readings over 4 cups of wine/grape juice. It’s also important to express gratitude for the freedoms we do have. Encourage participants to take a few moments to share what they’re grateful for, including one another. 

Q: I’m kind of tired of the whole virtual hangout thing. How can I have a meaningful Passover experience on my own at home – no technology involved. 

A: We totally get it. Check out this Solo Seder Guide for some ideas, print your own Haggadah or order one online, make a simple seder plate, drink wine or grape juice, and eat some matzah (preferably covered in chocolate). Voila! 

Attending Seder

Q: I don’t want to host. Where can I find some virtual seders to attend?

A: GatherDC’s Passover Guide has a list and OneTable has a bunch! Email info@gatherdc.org if you want some guidance on the different seder options and what might be the best fit for you.

Q: What’s a nice way I can express my gratitude to the seder host?

A: Send a thank you e-card. If they live locally, email them a gift card to a DMV-area restaurant or consider dropping off a kosher-for-Passover dish at their doorstep with a thank you note. If they are not local, ship them any of these thoughtful gifts. 

#KeepSederSimple Tip: Lend your skills to express gratitude. Tech savvy? Coordinate the Zoom link. Amateur comedian? Make people laugh at different points during seder that feel appropriate. Beautiful singer? Lead attendees in a Passover song.

Passover 101

Q: Can you just give me a quick recap about what Passover is again and why we celebrate?

A: Thousands of years ago, our ancestors were enslaved in Egypt. Pharaoh Forced the Israelites into harsh labor and decreed that all Israelite boys be killed at birth. Because of the courage of midwives, mothers, sisters, and princesses, an Israelite boy named Moses was saved and he grew to protest the injustices all around him. God sought him out to deliver the people from slavery and lead them out to freedom. Through a series of plagues and miracles, the people left and began a new journey, one that we are still on today. 

#KeepSederSimple Tip: Watch The Rugrats Passover episode (season 3, episode 26).

Q: What are some traditional Passover customs?

A: One is to give up bread and other leavened products for eight days. This is in memory of the dough that didn’t have time to rise when the Israelites fled Egypt. We also celebrate with a seder on the first and/or second night, a meal full of ritual and conversation surrounding the themes of Passover. During the daytime at the beginning and end of the festival period, it’s customary to attend synagogue services and sing songs of joy.

Q: What are unique and alternative ways to celebrate?

A: As Jews moved and lived around the world, they developed all kinds of Passover seder rituals. For example, Jews from Persia lightly hit each other with scallions during the singing of Dayeinu to symbolize the slaves being whipped in Egypt. Jews from Syria take the matzah from the seder table and place it in a bag that they carry over their shoulders around the table while the leader asks, “What are you carrying, where are you coming from and where are you going?” Or our favorite, Jews from Hungary decorate their table with gold and silver jewelry to commemorate the precious metals the Egyptians gave the Israelites to hasten their exodus from Egypt. You can also theme your seder around topics like social change, LGBTQ history, feminism, etc. 

Q: Who is Elijah and why does he want to come over for seder?

A: Elijah was a prophet. Jewish tradition says he will announce the coming of the messiah, which many Jews interpret as a time of complete peace. We invite him to our seder as a way to express hope for a time when all humans will see the good in each other and strive to live as one.

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Have more questions that we didn’t answer? Email them here.

“Once not long ago, a group of musicians came to Israel from Egypt. You probably didn’t hear about it. It wasn’t very important.” The opening line of the Tony Award-winning musical The Band’s Visit, serving as a tantalizing undersell of the beautiful story ready to unfold— a story reminiscent of life as we know it right now. 

For those who haven’t had the honor of experiencing this production, The Band’s Visit is just that. It is a  heart-achingly simple depiction of an Egyptian Ceremonial Police Orchestra becoming stranded for one night in a small town in the Negev desert. The locals take them in, show them hospitality, and then (spoiler alert), the next day the musicians leave as scheduled. 

Near the start of the show, we hear from the residents of that small town in a song called Waiting. The people of Bet Hatikva feel trapped by the the stagnant nature of their isolated, desert town. They have clearly accepted this as their way of life, and yet they cannot help but find themselves weary of it, too. Every day they interact with the same people, visit the same places— days blurring together over time. Of course, they can’t help but be wistful that one day there might just be something more— something different.

Does that sound a bit familiar these days? 

My friends, this is officially the song (and production) of our time. While the characters weren’t actively fending off a pandemic, it’s easy to hear some similarities in the humdrum of these Israeli’s passing the time, and us doing the same today. The lyric, “This sofa is a boat and I’m just drifting right along”, is a sentiment that we all relate to at some level. Waiting puts a melody to this madness. 

Later, Israeli Café owner Dina opens up to Egyptian Colonel Tewfiq in a song called Omar Sharif. This song is Dina’s way of showing this strange visitor that they have something in common— their affinity for the same Egyptian actor, Omar Sharif, and singer, Umm Kulthum. While simplistic on the surface, this song teaches us that we can learn to experience magic in the things we do at home. Dina enchants us with colorful imagery about how it feels to be engrossed in the work of this actor and singer; 

“and the living room becomes a garden, and the TV set becomes a fountain…”. 

If we fully embrace the art that brings us together, everyday things have the potential to become extraordinary.

Throughout the production, the quiet lives of the Israelis compel them to grapple with some truly raw emotions. They have time and space for their minds to wander, which is far from easy. When the Israelis grew more comfortable with the musicians, they slowly began sharing their tales of loneliness, fear, love, and longing. They were amazed to learn that the Egyptians knew those feelings, too. They shouldered one another’s’ sorrows and joys, and suddenly, Bet Hatikva didn’t feel so small to anyone. 

With so much out of our control, it feels natural to focus inward — filling our space and time with the innermost wearings on our hearts, no matter how inconsequential they may seem. Some days that could simply feel like boredom or restlessness, and other days like worry or anxiety. What The Band’s Visit shows us is that we don’t have to feel these things alone. We make our small world a bit bigger by allowing ourselves to let others in (though not literally, of course). 

The Band’s Visit models how to practice vulnerability and care, and teaches us how much good it can do for ourselves and others. This production is far from flashy. If you’re not paying close attention, you might assume that nothing monumental really happens. But humanity exists in the details of this story. I say we give this a try. Then somehow, amidst the mundane nature of our day-by-day existence, we could see all the beauty that humanity has to offer. 

 

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About the author: Marlee Ribnick is a writer and communicator who will dive headfirst into challenging conversations. Passionate about political discourse, with experience driving change in the nonprofit sector, Marlee believes in the power of prose to shape the course of history. When she’s not fighting for the little guy, Marlee is rooting for the Missouri Tigers and volunteering as a nationally appointed consultant for Sigma Kappa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The views and opinions expressed in this blog and on this website are solely those of the original authors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the organization GatherDC, the GatherDC staff, the GatherDC board, and/or any/all contributors to this site.

Rabbi Ilana is so excited to share her famous challah recipe with you (adapted from Modern Jewish Baker). Follow along, and then be sure to tag GatherDC in your final product on Facebook or Instagram. Happy baking and Shabbat Shalom!

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons dry active yeast
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/4 cup lukewarm water 4 1/2-5 cups of unbleached bread flour
• 1/2 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs

For the topping:

• 1-2 egg yolks
• Any toppings you want like sesame seeds, everything toppings, salt

Instructions:

• In a small bowl, place the yeast, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and lukewarm water. Stir gently. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture becomes foamy at the top.
• In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups of flour, the salt, and 1/2 cup of sugar (plus two tablespoons of sugar if you want a sweeter challah). Add the yeast mixture and oil to flour. Mix thoroughly. Add another cup of flour and eggs and mix until smooth.
• Add another 1 1/2-2 cups of flour and mix. Either remove the dough from the bowl and knead on a clean, floured surface of knead in the bowl itself. Add flour as needed, 5 minutes.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a bowl. Place in a warm spot, like over a warm oven and allow to rise for 3 hours. You can also cover the bowl with plastic wrap or tin foil and allow to rise overnight in the fridge.
• Divide the dough in two and make two challahs (or rolls). Once you braid, place challahs on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and allow challahs to rise for another hour on top of the oven.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, beat an egg yolk and brush over challahs. Add toppings. Place baking sheets in the oven and bake for 24-26 minutes, or until golden brown.